A search engine is a tool for searching and matching information. Typical search engines have become a highly effective platform for information publication, aggregation and display, and have been popularly employed in the field of electronic commerce. The working principle of a search engine is that when a user inputs key words, the search engine searches for the information which matches the key words, and sends back results of the matched information to the user. However, a search engine typically identifies the demand of a user based on the key words input by the user, but the demand of the user is ever changing. It is very hard to correctly express the desire of a user. For example, when a user inputs the words “waterproof case”, it may mean “waterproof case for a camera”, and may also mean “waterproof case for a cell-phone”. The user may want to buy some kind of waterproof case, or may just want to know the related information about a waterproof case.
The personal character such as life style, habit and religion of different users varies from user to user, but a search engine is unable to distinguish the difference between different users. Therefore the search engine can only give a stereotypical result of a search to the user. Take the search for “Restaurant” as example. A rich user may desire search results for the luxurious restaurants, but a poor user may desire search results for the common restaurants. Hence, giving the search results of luxurious restaurants to a poor user is a waste of time and energy for the poor user. Besides, the results do not benefit the luxurious restaurants as well.
Furthermore as for the user of a cell-phone, it is not easy to input key words, and the over-shortened key words do not clearly express the information needed by the user. For example, when a user searches for “Shen Mei Barbershop”, there are a lot of chain stores of the barbershop. It is difficult to determine information shall be given to the user. Presently, the only way to solve the problem requires the user to repeatedly simplify and refine the key words. This method not only decreases the search efficiency but also causes inconvenience to the user.
Therefore, it is hard to guarantee the results of a search of information may be of interest to the user when applying existing information matching techniques on a search engine.
A pay-per-click (PPC) system also has the function of information publication and information searching. The difference in the PPC system is that it sorts the results according to the fees paid by a publisher for each click of the search result. The more fees that are paid, the higher the published information is placed in a list of search results. That provides the publisher an greater chance to present the information before a user's eyes, i.e., the publisher can control the display of advertisement by means of controlling the fees paid for each click.
Thus, PPC can guarantee the information of the publisher who paid more fees will appear at the top of the list of search results. Whether the information matches the intended desire of the user is not the focal point of concern of the PPC. Hence PPC has more concern for the interest of the publisher, for example a merchant, but neglects the interest of the information receiver, such as a user.
Traditional advertisement publishing also has the function of information publication. The development of traditional advertisement in the internet has gone through many generations. From the initial stage of selected subject column delivery (such as delivery of the automobile advertisement through the automobile channel of Sina Website), to choosing key words from a webpage and carrying out key words delivery (such as the Ad Sense of Google), and then to the targeted delivery (such as double click and Ten Cent) through user behavior analysis, clustering, and path analysis, the effect of internet advertisement has become more and more evident. However, essentially, traditional advertisement entails delivering information according to the owner of the advertisement, but not according to the idea of a consumer.
Thus, traditional advertisement is not designed for providing the matched information needed by a user, but is for locating potential customers by straight forward delivery of the advertisement to the potential customer targeted by the publisher. However, no matter the improvement, the essence is always the advertisement. The advertisement will appear before the user when the user intends to obtain information of another nature. This causes interference to the normal activities of a user. Similarly a traditional advertisement is also focused more on the interest of the publisher, i.e., the merchant, and neglects the interest of the information receiver, i.e., the user.